Spelling variations of this family name include: Frick, Fricke, Fricker, Frickel, Frickes, Fricks and others.

First found in Germany, where the name Fricker came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as numerous branches of the same house acquired distant estates, some of which were located in other countries. Through the acquisition of these estates as well as their important contributions to society, the family successfully elevated their social status. Like many surnames, the name Fricker is taken from a personal name which was very common at the time. Frick is a shortened form of Frederick, which is composed of the Germanic elements "fred," meaning "peace" and "ric," meaning "power." Like many personal names of the time, it owed its popularity to the fact that there was a saint by that name; Saint Frederick was the Bishop of Utrecht (in modern-day Holland) and worked to end paganism and idolatry.